Why the higher prices?

[20SomethingJeff]

It's about branding. RCL has distinguished & established themselves a better cruise line operator & brand more so than most others via their actions. As a result, than can and do charge more. And people are willing to pay more for a particular brand.

 

You said it!! They have a better marketing dept.

 

Jeff

[Earthworm Jim]

Speaking of booking a year out. RC had great prices on Harmony when they released the 2016-17 cruises. Best ever for Oasis class.

 

I noticed that change recently too. I booked Harmony for February 2017 a few weeks ago, and now the prices are over $200 pp higher (that's after you figure in the BOGOHO discount averaged for 2 people). That was a 25% cost increase in my case. Could they really be having enough sales over a couple of weeks for a cruise 18 months away for their computer pricing algorithms to jack the prices up 25%?

 

I guess so. They know their business and aren't dummies. It just seems odd to me as a layman watching it though.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Earthworm Jim

[APDMOM]

I agree that RCI is successful in filling ships, so prices are much higher since about last June/July. We had been very comfortable with their pricing during the prior 3 years, but we are now booked on Carnival for next year, due to the huge price difference: $96 per person per day in balcony (Carnival) vs. $171 per person per day in balcony (RCI).

 

We like both cruiselines, and though Royal is a cut above, it is not worth THAT much more per person per day to us...

[travelplus]

The reason the prices are higher is to keep the riff raff away from Royal. Do we need the drunk mean spirited people who would ruin the Royal Wow Experience? Perhaps its because you are looking for high season.

 

When I go I love going off season either in April or October as my schedule is flexible. I just booked the BOGOHO promo for a Barcelona-Dubai Cruise and got flights for $1180 per person all in.

 

Just look at all the factors. When do you want to cruise? Figure out that the value is still there you get your meal, stateroom, entertainment for one cost minus gratuities and extras. If you think its too expensive then add up what it would be to go on a land based vacation with hotel, air,rental car, food etc.

[stobe1]

I used to be a diehard loyal Royal cruiser until some friends of mine convinced me to go with them on a Carnival cruise many moons ago. I was apprehensive about going because I, like many people, believed the false stereotype that Carnival was a big frat party with college kids stumbling all over each other. I was wrong and found that it was any thing but that. That was in 2007 and since then, I have only sailed on Carnival because, truth be told, the lines are very similar in terms of overall product and experience and yet Carnival tends to be a tad cheaper.

 

You're really getting essentially the same experience on Carnival as you would be getting on Royal for less cost.

 

Carnival’s stereotypes of being a subpar cruise line really don't hold water when you actually go experience them for yourself.

 

Royal is able to charge more because they have marketed themselves in a way that allows them to charge a premium.

[Big_G]

You're really getting essentially the same experience on Carnival as you would be getting on Royal for less cost.

We tried Carnival and agree they weren't just a big frat party but while we've never had a bad cruise, they were a little underwhelming. I've never prescribed to the theory that the mass markets essentially provide the same experience otherwise we would never have returned to Royal after Princess and Carnival. Yes, you found what you were looking for on Carnival but what you found may not be of significance or appeal to others. Just my honest opinion. ;)

[GottaLuvCruising]

Wife and I switch between CCL and RCL. Taken as a whole, IMO they are on par with each other. We are more geared towards embark/debark ports and the savings of not having to travel far to get to a ship. But every now and then we will head to fla. for variety and pickup a different ship there.

 

Back to price RCL is only slight higher than CCL in general is you book 1.5-2 yrs out. After that RCL rises in price then you are at the mercy of their bogo marketing sales to which they are now a running joke.

 

Are you by any chance related to the Krise family from St Augustine PA?

[mek]

We tried Carnival and agree they weren't just a big frat party but while we've never had a bad cruise, they were a little underwhelming. I've never prescribed to the theory that the mass markets essentially provide the same experience otherwise we would never have returned to Royal after Princess and Carnival. Yes, you found what you were looking for on Carnival but what you found may not be of significance or appeal to others. Just my honest opinion. ;)

 

Totally agree that the experiences are different - some ships have more "wow" factors and some are more traditional. Food is also different as well as entertainment. It's the main reason we switch around - even our favorite line, Princess, becomes old if repeated frequently.

[rudeney]

I believe Carnival deserves the rap they get. Here's why:

 

(WANRING! NOT SAFE FOR WORK! NOT SAFE FOR CHILDEN!!!!)

 

http://rodneygrill.com/funship

[roquejo]

I have a high elite status with both RCCL and NCL so have taken quite a number of cruise with both, frankly speaking, both are equal and of the same quality. Some aspects are better in RCCL (e.g. loyalty program), while some aspects are better in NCL (e.g. better suite experience). It really depends on one's preference.

 

But one thing that differs is RCCL has built its brand image better, they have better marketing, and have a more solid loyal customers, so they can afford to charge a higher price and still sell out ships.

 

NCL's brand image is not that good, if you read their forums, their new CEO has given them a bad impression as a nickle and diming cruise line, many loyal guests are not happy, they began to charge for room service, then followed by not allowing to take out food to bring to your stateroom (which they withdrew later) they changed their specialty dining pricing structure to ala carte, and just recently, they cancelled so many cruises from fall 2016 to shuffle ships for Asia and Australia, and just giving 50% OBC as compensation. Then they raised gratuities twice in a span of just months apart.

 

If you ask me, I prefer RCCL all things equal, I take NCL only if the prices became so low or they have better IT.

 

So for NCL to continue entice customers due to their lower brand image, not only they offer lower prices compared to RCCL for the same IT and almost same service level, they throw a lot of freebies like $50-$75 shore excursion credit per port, free ultimate dining or drinks packages, free internet minutes, free gratuities etc.

 

And not only that NCL has a pattern of having one of the biggest price drops in the last minute just to fill out ships.

 

But for RCCL, they got rid of the last minute price drops and can still fill ships to capacity (without those last minute discount seeking cruisers) without sacrificing profits because they have built their brand well...

 

That is why I tend book NCL in the last minute (book plane ticket first then book cruise way later after the price drop) while for RCCL I have book cruises 2 years in advance.

Edited August 4, 2015 by roquejo

[cruise_mojo]

but man I don't remember that gal A-tall!;)

 

lotta good posts up there

 

what I have learned is, that when someone cruises the first time on just about any cruise line, they LOVE it, and its pretty easy to make a habit of it

 

once they hit about 3-5 cruises all on the same line they are totally hooked on that line and the way they "do things"

 

then, someone talks them into trying another line..... they go, sometimes as part of a larger group and maybe they don't know the tricks, or indiosyncrasies of the new line and, instantly anything different seems weird, and thus, not as good

 

then they start to kind of look for things and generally they identify anything different as something less than what they are used to

 

We have been on a lot of carnival cruises but we see this on just about every cruise and cruise line we've been on for years.

 

I do think royal definitely has a different set of tricks to getting a good deal. I have noticed when they send those new cruise booking emails, on way out advanced dates, that people jump on them super fast, and just a week or two later the prices jump up. Then they start all the zillion different sales.

 

I really loved the one Celebrity cruise we took but it was a monster 10 day one back years ago from Baltimore to all over the carribean and back. We did Princess for our 30th anniversary and it was really nice.

 

eh, I like em all!

 

:)

[orville99]

if you really want to see some high prices, check out a similar cruise on DCL!

 

 

And if you really want to give yourself a headache, try figuring out how Disney prices their different categories on a single cruise. Ex.: We have Disney Dream booked for next October (Cat 7A Balcony on deck 9). For a savings of only $132 total, we could downgrade to a Cat 11c interior on deck 2. (lowest category interior cabin).

[LBeeE]

Yes, marketing I think. And yes, all 3 appear to be similar. I think it comes to preference. We have a family member with over 10 RCI cruises, they said they would never cruise any other line. Last year they decided to give Carnival a try and decided the experiences were equal and are very willing to cruise Carnival again. They also tried Celebrity last year and really didn't like it at all. They will not be likely to cruise Celebrity again. My parents & in-laws both have tried 1 cruise on each of these 3 lines, the only one they all disliked was NCL. They didn't say why, just that it was their least favorite. I have heard that a lot regarding NCL, and I don't say this with the intention of picking on NCL. No one has given any specifics. But time and again I hear people say it's their least favorite. We were just in Bermuda at the same time as NCL Dawn. We had a number of Dawn's passengers ask us about RCI and say they are tempted to try something new. They did say they were satisfied with NCL, just ready to do something different. So it does make one wonder why RCI has so many huge fans and other lines don't seem to have the same customer retention. Good question. I can't say that comes to marketing. And I've only been on RCI myself. I often hear Carnival and RCI are very similar experiences. Most people who have cruised both determine "it's a wash" - there are things they liked and disliked about both lines, and therefore it was "even" in the end.

 

Edited to add: I think when people have a good or decent experience, they are more likely to stick with the same line. We've had such a blast on our RCI cruises that we will for sure want our kids' 1st cruise to be RCI.

Edited August 5, 2015 by LBeeE

[barneymag]

Ok so this is my thought process - I generally am not loyal to one brand but enjoy cruising. I have sailed with P&O and Celebrity in the past and we're on Anthem in less than 4 weeks.

 

I usually book 3 to 6 months out and only book a cruise that either is a great price or has great perks.

 

......... however as very few people share the exact price they pay for a particular cruise I have no idea if I get a good price😀, a really good price 😎 or I'm being ripped off 😡

 

So can we share what we paid for a particular cruise, with a particular offer ??? If so I'll go first 😉

[Clarea]

...So can we share what we paid for a particular cruise, with a particular offer ??? If so I'll go first 😉

You can share what you paid, but you cannot mention any travel agents by name.

[Cant_Wait1996]

I haven't booked anything yet but most of the 5 day cruises I'm looking at on Carnival are around $3000 including gratuities. That's for two inside staterooms in June.

[barneymag]

You can share what you paid, but you cannot mention any travel agents by name.

 

Ok, no problem

 

We paid £1679 pp for a 14 night Med cruise on a Anthem inc Select drinks package and $100 OBC for a D2 Balcony on deck 12

 

Now at the time (we booked 2 months ag) I thought £120 pp per night all inclusive (select drinks) wasn't bad as the drinks package would normally cost $35 pp per night (£22.50 pp per night)

 

This therefore works out at less than a £100 pp per night ($150 pp per night) before the drinks package .... For a brand new ship I thought this was a pretty good deal

 

So the question is .... Taking into account the drinks package, new ship and booking 3 months before sailing is this a good price ? or did anyone booking 6 months, 12 months or 2 years in advance get better ??

 

As a side note I am looking to book Celebrity Eclipse June 2016 for a 14 night C3 category balcony and they are asking £1900 pp (£135 pp per night) inc Classic Drinks package - now Celebrity's classic drinks are more inclusive than RCI's select but this is still £15 pp per night (£420/$650 more for the 2 of us) on Eclipse next year ...... so my feeling is the RCI price we paid this year was Ok ????

Edited August 5, 2015 by barneymag

[LBeeE]

Is that Carnival's dress code?:D LOL

[John&LaLa]

Is that Carnival's dress code?:D LOL

 

So that link is ok to post. :what::eek:

[cruise_mojo]

10 years ago, not so much....

 

but to me is seems, they have carved a really nice niche out with a certain demographic and people from a certain part of the country, which is what allows them to charge a bundle it seems to me

 

which is why we haven't cruised with them for a while, but without NCl we wouldn't have the options we do today, they have come up with about 75% of all the neato cruise ship innovations and shore tours and stuff like that we enjoy today!

 

but they've also had some whoppers of a bad idea too:eek:

 

On Cruise ship pricing and what we pay? EVERYBODY gets a good price! Its pretty much a meaningless convo. The prices change like airline tix. On a daily basis, heck on a phone call basis. Bascially, the cruise lines have targets for the sales of cabins, and if they are behind on a specific cruise they allow pricing to increase sales just on that one cruise, its all computer assisted analysis, and all you gotta do is log into a cruise website and tinker around for a few hours to see that in some cases you can book the exact same room on a single cruise for as many as 5-6 different prices! Depending on what rate discount or price you may be eligible for.

 

This doesn't even count, travel agents or websites that may have "special pricing" for a particular cruise because of having a block of space on a ship.

 

say at carnival, you got early saver, sometimes a special ES with some credit or other perk, a guaranteed two upgrade special, the fun saver, a vifp rate, military, maybe a travel industry rate and any special rate they are running. So some of the rates may work out the same, but sometimes they may vary hundreds of dollars on a cruise - and before you get mad - some of those rates have VERY different policies now on cancellations and now even reservation change fees like arilines have! OR deposit forfeits!

 

basically whomever you are booking with, they'll give you the best rate available at the instant you book, depending on what you qualify for, as long as they know what they are doing.....:o